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Who Dey Revolution Manifesto

Preamble

IN THIS TIME of perpetual Cincinnati Bengals incompetence and futility, with zero playoff wins in the nineteen seasons since the WhoDeyRevolution Godfather, Paul Brown, passed away in 1991 and handed the team to his fortunate son, the Despot, Mike Brown;

Introduction

WE, the members of the Who Dey Revolution, in our fervent dedication to the Cincinnati Bengals and fanatical desire to transform our hometown team into perpetual Super Bowl contenders, call for a popular revolution of fans to demand comprehensive reform to the managerial decisions and approach of Cincinnati Bengals ownership, management, staff and players, and hereby call for the adoption of the following Who Dey Revolution Manifesto:

Manifesto Demands

THAT the Mike Brown, Katie Blackburn, Marvin Lewis, along with every other member of the Bengals management, staff and personnel, state publicly to all Bengals fans, “I will do everything in my power to help the Cincinnati Bengals win a Super Bowl;”

THAT Mike Brown will hire a general manager, drastically expand the scouting department and relinquish all control of player personnel;

THAT all training, rehabilitation and medical facilities are considered best-in-class compared to other NFL teams;

THAT the management fill the team only with players who fit the system, both mentally and physically, and are not reluctant to makes changes to player personnel when needed, regardless of cost or loyalty concerns;

THAT offensive and defensive line depth is considered the top priority for all player personnel decisions;

THAT all decisions made by ownership, management, staff and players, both on and off the field, are judged only by this criterion: “Does this help the Cincinnati Bengals win a Super Bowl?”

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April 2011

April 29, 2011

Since it is pretty obvious the Bengals are going to take a QB rather than be smart and trade for an experienced vetern like a Kolb after the draft or pick one up in free agency which would allow them to go after the top QB prospect that is not even in this year's draft. So if you were sitting in the room what would you do?

Ryan MallettHere is what the pundits say: Mallett is a junior that chose to give up his final season of eligibility for the NFL. Mallett is 6'6 and has an absolute cannon for an arm, and he fits the mold of a true gunslinger: He wants to throw it every time, and will try to throw the football throw anything that gets between him and his receiver. Mallett is a pure pocket passer with great size, but with that comes the lack of ideal mobility. He is not a statue in the pocket, but as he gets older and adds some more weight to his frame, he is going to find it tough to escape the rush within the pocket.

According to scouts the biggest thing holding Mallett back at this point is still his decision making. He has some Brett Favre in him, thinking his arm strength will always prevail. He forces throws into coverage. It results in some amazing throws, but also results in game changing mistakes. At the pro level, the mistakes will out number the big plays because tight spaces are even tighter. There are also some questions about his maturity level, so it may be wise for him to have a veteran to mentor him for a bit before stepping onto the field. Mallett appears to have slipped out of the first round, but he has the talent to become a very good starting QB in the NFL.

To add to this: I was impressed with what I saw from Mallett during the Sugar Bowl game against Ohio State - the only game I saw Mallett play last year. Ohio State was really lucky to win that game and should have sent Arkansas's wide receiving corps several fruit baskets for dropping so many touchdowns balls - especially in the first quarter. Mallett was able to get balls to his receivers even under heavy pressure from OSU's pass rush. He has the rare combination of arm strength and size 6'-6 or 6'-7'( depending on what you read)/ 250+ lbs (larger than Big Ben who is 6'-5"/ 240 lbs). His off-field escapades are the only big question mark. But people said the same thing about Dan Marino and his cocaine habit back in 1984. The other big question is how he will respond to falling to the second round. Will he use this as motivation to prove all of the other 31 teams they were wrong or will he fall apart?

Andy DaltonHere is what the pundits say: TCU’s Andy Dalton may not possess the overall physical tools of other top QB prospects, but his intelligence, leadership, and accuracy definitely stand out. He eased some concerns about his size when he officially hit 6’2/ 215 at the combine, and has continued to win people over with his football IQ and overall intelligence.

Dalton has a good enough arm to make all the throws, shows some surprising mobility within the pocket, and those traits combined with his ability to lead a team has him looking like a second round pick as well. While he will need to adjust to taking snaps from under center, he could be ready to play early in his career because he possesses every intangible you want in a quarterback, and he’s the type of player you can go to battle with every Sunday.

To add to this: I don't know much about the red wonder since I did not watch one TCU game last year - I can't wait for the NCAA to catch that school for violating NCAA rules. My big concern about Dalton is his size. Will he be able to see the field over an OL/DL that is going to be 3-5" higher than he is? Other sites have also questioned his arm strength. Gruden gets a stiffy anytime he sees his red hair.

Other Top Options Still Available:1. DE Bowers - Do you draft Odom's replacement to help solidify the DE spot for years to come?2. LB Justin Houston - At 6'-3" 270 could fill the hole at SLB, but is a prospect.3. SLB Ayens - Proven SLB in college. Can cover but supposedly has a hard time against the run.4. CB Harris - Good cover corner.5. DT Stephen Pea - Noted run stuffer that looks samoan so by default he would be my selection just because he looks samoan. 6. FS Moore - Described as a game changing safety - a big need.

This is a tough question. I know popular demand will say Dalton. I also know that Gruden is in love with Dalton - but we don't even know if we can trust Gruden yet. If I had a gun to my head and had to choose between Mallet or Dalton, I go with Mallett and then immediately hire a councilor to get his head straight.

If it were my call, I think I try to solidify the DL with Bowers who has the ability to defend the run and rush the passer. Matching him up with Atkins and Dunlap on third downs could be scary. I would then follow this up in next years draft with the selection of Luck to get my future franchise QB - since we are going to draft high again next year. If Bowers is off the board, I go with the game changing safety.

April 28, 2011

Well, it's the 2011 draft and you know what that means. That's right, it's time for the Bengals to replace their franchise QB 5 years earlier than they should need to. Remember, it only took us 13 years to replace Boomer Esaiason. 2024 is just around the corner!

We all now depend on the Bengals scouting department who, Mike Brown assures me, are working with the same information as every other NFL front office. In that case, I guess they won't mind if we hold them personally responsible for what happens so here's a list of them by name in case you forgot:

April 27, 2011

What an offseason so far. It has been so entertaining that we have had nothing to post about for weeks...

Finally, thursday evening is the start of the three day long NFL draft. After months of hype and speculation, we finally get to find who the Bengals will select to eventually hold out, make a quick million for signing their name on a dotted line, and then after several years of futility ask for a trade. Can you tell I'm really excited for this...

Here is a brief run down of our needs:

1. QB - With Palmer gone, the Bengals need a new franchise QB. This need is going to be the focus of either the draft or once FA/ trading starts back up.

2. OL - We said it time and again last season, the LG spot was a major weakness for the offense. RT and RG are also areas of need due to Williams age and Moobs conditioning. If - big if - Moobs can get his shit together this offseason and actually produce next year, he could turn into a long term solution, but like most Mike Brown plans nothing is ever that simple. Witworth and Cook are solid at the LT and C spots, and provide a foundation to build upon.

3. RB - Benson is a FA, but may return now that Bratkowski is gone. Leonard is a man among boys and as MFB said in his press conference he was a good pick up. Scott provides a good change of pace. Near the end of the season, a FB came out of no where and the running game thrived. Something tells me that they stay away from this position this year unless they know Benson is not coming back.

4. WR - With TO done, and Johnson on his way out of town, the dynamic duo turned out to be a bust. Simpson stepped it up late in the season, but with a new offensive coordinator is he going to be able to digest the new playbook and lingo faster then he did the previous 3 years? Last year's pick, Shipley, has a great opportunity to be a reincarnation of Wes Welker if - unlike Bratkowski - Gruden knows how to use him properly. Even with all of the young talent on the roster, they may need to dive back into the WR pool within the first three rounds this year unless they fill their needs in FA, which is a possibility.

5. TE - This is the spot of the roster that is finally a strength. Even though Brat had no idea how to use Gresham in the passing game, he had a decent rookie season. As the season progressed, his blocking ability improved. Hopefully Gruden knows how to take advantage of a young stellar TE and Gresham continues to develop - again another if. Coffman is a good compliment to Gresham by providing a second set of dependable hands. This is probably one of the best young pass catching TE tandems in the league second to the Pats lineup.

6. DL - Atkins and Dunlap looked to be the real deal last season and were probably the major bright spot to a piss poor year. The overrated Peko, Tank Johnson, and Simms make for a DT good rotation although it could use a stimulus with the help of a run stuffing stud. Outside of them picking a stellar run stuffing prospect in the first round DT is not a real need. Dunlap looks to be the pass rushing threat that we have longed for, but there may be a need for an every down end to compliment the underrated Geathers.

7. LB - The primary need is SLB with Maualuga moving to his natural spot and Revers solid on the weak side. The only real option on the roster is to try the conversion of Michael Johnson again, which ended quickly last season due to injuries. The depth on the roster is dependable, but we may see them try to add a starter to the roster.

8. CB - With Joseph leaving and Hall most likely leaving next season, a rebuilding at the spot may be required and could force them to use one of their top three spots to draft a CB.

9. Safety - Drafting a young safety has been a need for almost a decade. This may be the year since Roy Williams is now a china doll and Reggie Nelson played pretty well near the end of the season and adds good depth. Unfortunately Gibril Wilson never made it through the preseason and may not return since he is a FA.

Their immediate attention should be the following:1. QB - this needs to be resolved ASAP. Preferably they don't do this in the draft otherwise we have to throw in the towel on the 2011 season before it even starts.2. OL - This is one of the major issues on the offense. If you want to win, you need to control the LOS and give the QB time to throw. If MFB repeats the Klinger and Smith picks by going for a QB without providing an OL to protect him, it will take years for the team to recover from this mistake.3. SLB - This is a major hole that needs to be filled on the defense and they need to address within the first two days.4. Safety - Another major hole and it needs to be filled early in the draft.5. CB - They need to replace JJoe and can't just rely on Adam Jones to fill the spot.6. WR - They can get someone late in the draft to add depth and then add a starter in FA since there is a lot of talent available this year.7. DT - Run stuffing body - might be able to fill this need in FA if they don't draft Farley.

The consensus appears to be the Bengals biggest need is WR and they try to fill it with Green. On the bright side there is not much media hype for them to go after Cam Newton, but WR is still is the wrong approach in my opinion.

The QB position can easily be filled via trade for Kolb or McNabb, but they probably won't and will waste the first or second pick with a QB. The WR spot can be filled in free agency or from a trade with Chad involved. Their best best is to move down to pick up some extra high picks. Rumor has it that the Patriots are looking to move up and cash in their three picks in the first 33 spots. That would be a perfect fit for the Bengals. In theory if they moved down and picked up an additional first or second they could fill their biggest holes (OL, SLB, CB, or S) with their first three picks in two rounds. With their first pick, I would live to see me some Pouncy in stripes at LG to solidify the left side of the OL for the next ten years. If Marvin has more of a say in management decisions, this could be a reality.

However this is still Mike Brown's team and will always defy logic as long as he is alive; so they will select a WR or QB. Welcome back the 1990's.

April 24, 2011

Apologies for the lack of posts, but it's hard to get excited about all the non-news stories (Carson leaving - yes or no? Chad continuing to do PR stunts, etc). Two recent developments perked my ear, though.

The first is that the Bengals are at least considering building an indoor practice facility. As Joe Reedy points out, "The Bengals are the northernmost NFL team without an indoor facility; coach Marvin Lewis has made it clear he wants one. Movement on the issue was considered one of the reasons he signed on in January for two more years."

WDR has covered the lack of an indoor practice facility for some time. Check our old posts here and here. We have covered the fact that the Bengals, a "professional" football team, force their players to practice in an indoor practice stadium in the winter months leading up to the playoffs, and that an indoor facility helps curb injuries. And that the team, not the county, would be forced to pay for the construction and maintenence of the facility. But it is certainly a promising sign that the Bengals are at least sniffing around to assess the possibility of building. Though, I have my serious doubts that this will ever be built. Likely just going through the motions to satisfy Marvin and placate moronic Bengals fans like us.

April 04, 2011

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports writes about the top 5 dumbest things said about the lockout, and our own Mike Brown comes in at #1. Take it away Jason:

1. For the owners, it’s not about the moneyCincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown(notes) proved that making stupid remarks wasn’t limited to the likes of Peterson and Mendenhall. After the CBA negotiations broke off on March 11, Brown criticized the players, telling the Cincinnati Enquirer “It came down to the obvious point that all the union cared about was the money and these other things certainly didn’t matter enough. It’s a tremendous situation that they have and it has become burdensome for the teams. Yes, we’re asking for some relief going forward. I don’t think that was unreasonable.”

Really, Mike? That’s all the players care about – not the owners? That’s right, Mike – owners are simply benevolent people who are in business for only the most altruistic reasons. In fact, if the NFL could come up with a profit-sharing system that assured that all the money went to the players and only the players, the owners would happily do that just to make sure they enriched the lives of the less fortunate.

Oh how I wish Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown were still alive so he could slap his Hall of Lame son. Dear Bengals fans, if you want to understand why you have one of the two or three worst franchises in the NFL, Brown is your reason.